Grunge (QUIZ) Soundgarden, who originally was signed with the Indie Sub Pop, was the first grunge band to sign to a major label in 1989 when they signed with A&M. Nirvana followed suit in 1991, leaving Sub Pop for Geffen Records. MTV's constantly aired Nirvana's music video "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their album "Nevermind." This album climbed the charts to Billboard 200's Number One in January 1991. This success opened the way for other grunge bands including Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. It also opened the way for companies to start charging outrageous prices for grunge fashion, which typically consisted of plaid flannel shirts and stonewashed jeans.
Grunge is a type of music and fashion that originated in the United States, specifically Seattle Washington, beginning in the mid to late 1980s. It has been said it is the fusion of heavy metal and hardcore punk. The grunge sound is distorted and dissonant. Lyrics center around topics such as social unrest, unworthiness, and prejudices. The grunge fashion mainly consists of items one might find at a thrift store.
Very interesting is how several bands from the same area were working on the same style, in particular the first grunge bands: Green River, Malfunkshun, The Melvins, Skin Yard, Sound Garden and U-Men. It has been said the isolation of this area of the country along with the boredom and the cold, rainy weather, was the perfect breeding ground for this genre of music.
The grunge style really came together in 1986 with a compilation album entitled "Deep Six" released March, 1986 by C/Z Records. Because the grunge bands didn't have the money to record an album of their own, C/Z Records produced the album for 6 different grunge bands. It was later in 1986 the record label Sub Pop released a similar compilation. Sub Pop, which is still alive and well today, and living in Seattle, would eventually sign Nirvana to their label. http://www.subpop.com/
The grunge music style and fashion began to fall apart somewhat beginning about 1993. Many of the band members were uncomfortable with their success, including Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Many of the grunge bands were beginning to break up and on April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound. Also in 1994, Pearl Jam began its boycott of Ticketmaster, protesting their high fees. Because of this, they were unable to play at the larger venues of the US. In 2002, Alice in Chains lead singer, Layne Staley, died from a heroin overdose. Also in 2002, Soundgarden and Screaming Trees released their final albums, with Soundgarden breaking up in 2003.